tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61644008457804584902018-08-04T01:16:18.896-04:00EdTech WorkshopReflections on Teaching and Learning...and Sometimes TechnologyAndrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.comBlogger252125EdtechWorkshophttps://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-87578891048218230862017-02-01T17:31:00.003-05:002017-08-17T12:28:08.615-04:00#Comments4Teachers<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, &quot;Bitstream Charter&quot;, Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, &quot;Bitstream Charter&quot;, Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cross-posted from <a href="http://edjewcon.org/cesjds">edjewcon.org/cesjds</a>&nbsp;with some edits</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xgj8mFw2G9U/WJJgU7WvV2I/AAAAAAAACyE/FFS1sWzQ1N00mIf_lwXXNdcJitdVlWBUwCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xgj8mFw2G9U/WJJgU7WvV2I/AAAAAAAACyE/FFS1sWzQ1N00mIf_lwXXNdcJitdVlWBUwCLcB/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />It's January, and I am wrapping up work with a cohort of teachers from <a href="http://edjewcon.org/cesjds">Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School</a>. The cohort of four teachers has been experimenting with professional blogging, learning the ins and outs, the challenges and the rewards. For our last session together, we are taking the time to reflect and discuss what we've learned. I&nbsp;first had the idea for a #comments4teachers post and hashtag after our first meeting&nbsp;in August, but I didn't act immediately on the idea and, as these things tend to do, it lost its urgency. However, as I listened to the teachers&nbsp;discussing what they've&nbsp;learned, I reflect&nbsp;that perhaps, in my role of coach, I might have done more to connect&nbsp;<strong>my students</strong>&nbsp;(the teacher-bloggers) to that elusive "authentic audience."<br /><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, &quot;Bitstream Charter&quot;, Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">Here's the thing: we blog for ourselves- to document our learning, to sort through our thoughts, and, as&nbsp;<a data-mce-href="http://www.edjewcon.org/cesjds/category/soffler/" href="http://www.edjewcon.org/cesjds/category/soffler/">Alexis</a>&nbsp;articulated, to be able to share our organized ideas with others easily when they contact us at other points&nbsp;in time. But,&nbsp;<a data-mce-href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/09/i-hope-you-like-it.html" href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/09/i-hope-you-like-it.html">we also tend to write for an audience</a>&nbsp;(that is not ourself) because it's a natural part of the exchange that is reading-writing.<br /><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, &quot;Bitstream Charter&quot;, Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">The&nbsp;<a data-mce-href="http://comments4kids.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-comments4kids.html" href="http://comments4kids.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-comments4kids.html">#comments4kids</a>&nbsp;hashtag is a brilliant and popular movement to bring that authentic audience and interaction to the blogs of young (kid) students. It requires both give and take; if you use the hashtag to bring commenters to the blogs of your own students, you should be so thoughtful as to reciprocate by taking time to leave comments for the students of other teachers.<br /><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, &quot;Bitstream Charter&quot;, Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">But what about adult bloggers who are sharing&nbsp;publicly via blogging for the first time? For many teachers, blogging their professional learning and reflections feels quite risky. They don't know who is reading. Is anyone interested? Will they be judged?</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, &quot;Bitstream Charter&quot;, Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />I read a lot of posts&nbsp;that urge teachers to blog. However, I wonder if the writers of those posts&nbsp;make the effort to encourage those teachers who do take the jump. It's easy to say that teachers should write and share just for the sake of being transparent, joining the big online conversation. Yes, teachers are adults and professionals; maybe we think they shouldn't need comments or encouragement. But blogging is a huge commitment of time and energy; a little positive reinforcement from the outside world might go a long way.<br /><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, &quot;Bitstream Charter&quot;, Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">So, I'm suggesting here a new hashtag <b>#comments4teachers</b>. If you believe that teachers should blog, take a few minutes each day or maybe once or twice a week and&nbsp;search for this hashtag. In a culture of learning, teachers ARE students and, while they might not be kids, I guarantee that they will appreciate a quality comment. Let's do more than just write posts about why teachers should blog. Let's encourage the ones who are climbing out on that limb!</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/4CjXy6wpFOo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com4http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2017/02/comments4teachers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-5048652994612157772016-02-26T07:15:00.001-05:002016-02-28T09:53:26.664-05:006 Benefits to Learning In Connected Communities<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4r01A4E-Bpo/VsyTFsnABII/AAAAAAAACjE/F2NmpRiV7uc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4r01A4E-Bpo/VsyTFsnABII/AAAAAAAACjE/F2NmpRiV7uc/s640/1.jpg" width="426" /></a><br /><br /><br />As one who studies learning, I have become fascinated by a type of learning activity I've observed on Instagram. I segment my interests using different social media platforms for different parts of my personality and have been using Instagram (where I go by the name&nbsp;@<a href="https://www.instagram.com/effort_ease/">effort_ease</a>) as a place to follow others who share my interest in yoga (whereas Twitter where I am&nbsp;<a href="http://twitter.com/edtechworkshop">@edtechworkshop</a>&nbsp;is all about teaching and learning). I do this only because I am like a kid in a candy store when it comes to social media, finding so many interesting people to connect with and learn from that I can't fathom having it all in one place.<br /><br />When I first began filling my Instagram feed with amazing yogis, I became aware of an assortment of yoga challenges taking place. This is the general protocol for an Instagram challenge:<br /><br /><ul><li><b>Outreach</b>- There are at least two, often many more, host accounts for each challenge. These are prominent accounts with many followers who generate excitement and interest for participating in the challenge since you get to interact on some level with these motivators.</li><li><b>Activity</b>- There is a daily challenge to be fulfilled via an uploaded photo tagged with the challenge hashtag</li><li><b>Reflection</b>- Reflection appears, in most challenges, to be optional yet widely practiced. I find this especially interesting. The nature of participating in a challenge seems to bring out a desire to share more than just the photo. Typically, posters will share thoughts about what fulfilling the day's challenge entailed or brought to the surface, what was experienced or learned, future goals and thoughts about the nature of learning and growth related to the activity.</li><li><b>Reward</b>- many challenges are sponsored by a business account who uses the challenge to build their own brand awareness. For example, a business that makes yoga clothes may sponsor a yoga challenge by offering a piece of their clothing as an incentive. All who meet the requirements of posting are eligible to win the prize at the end of the challenge.&nbsp;</li></ul><div>I've now discovered that there are many self-selected groups of Instagrammers in a wide variety of interest groups that use challenges and community support, as well as the power of visual documentation, to support their growth and goals.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li><b>What are the lessons here for those who wish to inspire learning in more traditional settings?&nbsp;</b></li><li><b>How can teachers and schools leverage the power of these types of learning communities?&nbsp;</b></li></ul></div><h3><b style="background-color: white;">I've identified six benefits of social media challenges that motivate learners and help them succeed.</b></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAGOM1ohz0k/Vsyze2EXNII/AAAAAAAACj4/V1mUjJoHS5s/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAGOM1ohz0k/Vsyze2EXNII/AAAAAAAACj4/V1mUjJoHS5s/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" /></a></ul><b>Self-Selected Learning Goals: </b>It is clear that learners are motivated by that which is meaningful to their own interests and goals. Many schools are acknowledging the importance of this by offering <a href="http://www.geniushour.com/">genius hour</a> or <a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2010/02/passion-project.html">passion projects</a> as part of the curriculum. &nbsp;Even within a more externally defined curriculum, teachers can find ways to leverage student interests and offer opportunities for choice. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ztg9fix_KE/Vsy0KLz7OGI/AAAAAAAACkA/Jcu9oaLGlys/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ztg9fix_KE/Vsy0KLz7OGI/AAAAAAAACkA/Jcu9oaLGlys/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" /></a></ul><b>Structure</b>: Instagram challenges have a clearly defined structure; there is a starting date and an ending date. There are requirements for full participation. There are instructions for each day's activity. Within this structure, there is endless room for creativity and interpretation, but the structure gives form to the entire pursuit. <a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2011/12/making-shift-happen-how.html">Structure supports growth</a>!<br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ZSlBoeTPQ/Vsy3CRmNscI/AAAAAAAACkQ/9pP-U6ODR3Q/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ZSlBoeTPQ/Vsy3CRmNscI/AAAAAAAACkQ/9pP-U6ODR3Q/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" /></a></ul><b>Support</b>: I believe the support of the group is one of the strongest benefits offered by learning in community. One amazing example of this is the "BBG" (Bikini Body Guide) community built by 24-year old Australian personal trainer, <a href="https://www.kaylaitsines.com/">Kayla Itsines</a>. Currently, Itsines has 4.5 million Instagram followers, many of whom have purchased her food and exercise guides. What contributes enormously to the success of Itsines's program is the support community she has built, and continues to nurture, on Instagram.<br /><ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nI8B36M4T10/VsyjuUJL2XI/AAAAAAAACjU/ANt4reN0J5M/s1600/_bbgsupport_%25E2%2580%25A2_Instagram_photos_and_videos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="57" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nI8B36M4T10/VsyjuUJL2XI/AAAAAAAACjU/ANt4reN0J5M/s320/_bbgsupport_%25E2%2580%25A2_Instagram_photos_and_videos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />According to a 2015 article, <a href="http://www.racked.com/2015/5/21/8622259/kayla-itsines-bikini-body-guide-bbg">Kayla and the 3 Million-Strong Bikini Body Movement</a>,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>The hashtag #BBG has been used over a million times on Instagram, at a rate of one post every thirty seconds. Other hashtags like #KaylasArmy, #thekaylamovement, #thek2movement, #deathbykayla, and #kaylaitsines are also rampant.&nbsp;</i></blockquote>The "BBG girls" support one another by posting inspirational quotes, sharing recipes and giving "likes" and encouraging comments to hashtagged photos.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bOnbBp8AJ0/VsykdTMrVrI/AAAAAAAACjc/q9A4kIo1IHU/s1600/_bbgsupport_%25E2%2580%25A2_Instagram_photos_and_videos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bOnbBp8AJ0/VsykdTMrVrI/AAAAAAAACjc/q9A4kIo1IHU/s320/_bbgsupport_%25E2%2580%25A2_Instagram_photos_and_videos.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wdbt7QExGs/Vsy3zXrX4tI/AAAAAAAACkU/SSh48CeiVV0/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wdbt7QExGs/Vsy3zXrX4tI/AAAAAAAACkU/SSh48CeiVV0/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" /></a></ul><b>Accountability</b>: Accountability is built into the structure. There are no external reinforcements; participants must be self-motivated in order to succeed. However, for self-directed learners to have a daily check-in with peers is tremendously powerful. In schools it is too often teachers, grades, parents and other external motivators that provide the bulk of the accountability needed for work to move forward. I wonder how we can shift &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;our accountability structures away from grades and toward more of these types of peer check-ins that help us hold ourselves and others accountable for staying the course.<br /><ul><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tm3ayKEJllk/Vsy9MECfhGI/AAAAAAAACko/nASZ8ymykgY/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tm3ayKEJllk/Vsy9MECfhGI/AAAAAAAACko/nASZ8ymykgY/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" /></a></ul><b>Challenge: </b>Challenge is something that occurs naturally on a true learning path. No learner wants to stay in one place. The problem with typical classroom learning is that it can be difficult for a teacher to constantly gauge the level of challenge appropriate for each learner. Some learners are not sufficiently empowered or do not possess the confidence or stamina necessary to push themselves in an academic environment. Seeing photos of the achievements of others acts as inspiration to challenge oneself. The supportive (non-graded, non-judgmental) environment for achieving the goal is, I believe, more conducive to taking risks. Finally, each person posts one photo or video "artifact" showing their interpretation of the day's challenge. The underlying process, including failed attempts and difficult practice sessions, are not necessarily showcased. But they are, undoubtedly, the backstory to every successful picture that gets posted.<br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U9jwjbP1EuM/Vs9qRDaaQZI/AAAAAAAAClg/6N3p7YmpR-8/s1600/IMG_1409__1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U9jwjbP1EuM/Vs9qRDaaQZI/AAAAAAAAClg/6N3p7YmpR-8/s400/IMG_1409__1_.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sofiayoga">@sofiayoga</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><ul><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cocg2wK1dt8/VszBEoMFNhI/AAAAAAAACk4/aF9M_ToPXo0/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cocg2wK1dt8/VszBEoMFNhI/AAAAAAAACk4/aF9M_ToPXo0/s1600/Blogger__EdTech_Workshop_-_Create_post.jpg" /></a></ul><b>Document Growth:</b>&nbsp;Another compelling and inspiring piece is the power of photos and videos to make learning visible. BBG and other fitness groups use hashtags like #transformationtuesday to document their progress with side-by-side, before and after selfies. It is amazing to see the growth that occurs with persistent effort and the passage of time.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nxg-Z_5A5SQ/VszAWaEFG-I/AAAAAAAACk0/uxBSFXG3n3M/s1600/Back_to_School_Night_2014_pptx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nxg-Z_5A5SQ/VszAWaEFG-I/AAAAAAAACk0/uxBSFXG3n3M/s400/Back_to_School_Night_2014_pptx.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/elle_fit/">@elle_fit&nbsp;</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><i>What would learning look like if schools leveraged the benefits of learning communities as successfully as social media? </i></span>I know there are many schools, teachers and classrooms playing with these ideas. Fundamentally, we will have to shift our whole mindset around learning if we are to create schools with true cultures of learning. Learning is a journey. I believe the Instagram challenges (and similar memes, challenges, etc. happening through social media) make learning fun and, most importantly, give learners permission to be wherever they are on that journey and provide support, challenge and more.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><br /><div><br /></div></div></div></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/zD1SoYTnslI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2016/02/as-one-who-studies-learning-i-have.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-3362833343330683932016-01-07T09:15:00.002-05:002016-01-07T09:15:52.569-05:00Structures to Support Professional Learning<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about learning, I have spent a lot of time pondering the best structures to support learning and growth. I have shared my thinking on my blog as well as my attempts to design and implement structures that work.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Looking&nbsp;back to the&nbsp;December 2011 post&nbsp;<a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2011/12/making-shift-happen-how.html">Making Shift Happen- How? </a>&nbsp;I think this was the first post that expressed my&nbsp;searching for a structure that would work universally to shift school culture to one of self-motivated, self-directed learning for all. &nbsp;Here we are in January 2016, and I am still playing with these ideas, having tried many approaches (which are documented throughout the blog). At this point, I'm pretty sure that there is nothing that has universal appeal, no "magic-bullet" that engages every learner and paves a path to lifelong growth-mindset.</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">This does not stop me from continuing to plug away at the process. If you follow my journey, you know that my job description changes from year to year. This year, I am out of the classroom and once again focusing my energies on professional learning for teachers.&nbsp;</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q6IUNwOuDAI/Vo5yw-OLPnI/AAAAAAAACiQ/I5SZXDmmT9g/s1600/Blog_Graphic_%25E2%2580%2593_One_Thing_I_Notice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q6IUNwOuDAI/Vo5yw-OLPnI/AAAAAAAACiQ/I5SZXDmmT9g/s400/Blog_Graphic_%25E2%2580%2593_One_Thing_I_Notice.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">One thing that I notice is how different teacher-learners are from my 4th/5th grade learners. I think that teachers, as a group, can tend to be more closed-off to learning, whereas the kids are more open. They know that their job is learning and they generally participate in the process. Another thing I notice is how similar teacher-learners are to my 4th/5th graders. As a group, the teachers are similar to a classroom of students. Some are super motivated and need little to no external motivation. They love learning and seek out challenge. They welcome coaching and feedback. Others need a high degree of external structure and pacing. They need a push to get started and keep moving but would rather be left alone. &nbsp;</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">The thing noticed about myself is that I always (ok, almost always) felt compassion for my young students, even the ones who, let's be honest, never lifted a finger without serious work on my part! Yet, with teacher-learners, I've typically lacked compassion and felt only frustration; these are paid professionals! I'm trying to temper my approach and bring more understanding and yes, love, to my work with adult learners.&nbsp;</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I am still working at designing materials and structures that help support growth, as I also work on managing my own expectations. Ultimately, I believe deeply that becoming an excellent, reflective learner is the number one job of the teacher and is an ongoing, never-ending process.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">In my classroom it was important that&nbsp;<a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/08/target-learning-environment.html">the learning space</a>&nbsp;be beautiful. As I evolve as an instructional designer, it is important to me that my teaching materials are visually appealing, concise and well-organized (aka beautiful), and I am working very hard on my own learning of design and visual note taking.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">All of this is the preface to sharing some recent materials I created for "my teachers" at the <a href="http://mjgds.org/">Martin J. Gottlieb Day School</a>&nbsp;to support professional learning. One is a sketchnote depicting the idea of creating SMART goals. The other is a worksheet (yes :-) that can be used during the planning process. (this is one page of a two page worksheet. If you'd like a PDF version of the whole thing, let me know. I'm happy to share).&nbsp;</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dLxDXiYjQ9A/Vo5vBO5bBVI/AAAAAAAACh8/Hvdbskdd56I/s1600/SMART%2Bgoals%2Bsketchnote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dLxDXiYjQ9A/Vo5vBO5bBVI/AAAAAAAACh8/Hvdbskdd56I/s640/SMART%2Bgoals%2Bsketchnote.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SqTyfI-Jt08/Vo5vmSVyGkI/AAAAAAAACiE/taqCijn3LEE/s1600/Professional%2BLearning%2BGoals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SqTyfI-Jt08/Vo5vmSVyGkI/AAAAAAAACiE/taqCijn3LEE/s640/Professional%2BLearning%2BGoals.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/rrDa0NF3Nog" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2016/01/structures-to-support-professional.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-30751316404327212442015-12-09T16:21:00.004-05:002015-12-09T16:22:09.705-05:00Parent Connect: Kids and Screens<a href="http://liquidliteracy.com/">Karin Hallett</a> and I, as part of our "<a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/search/label/parent%20connect">Parent Connect</a>" series of interactive discussions, recently facilitated a session called, "Kids and Screens."<br />Here are the slides and resources we shared:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tS8GEE5bheE/VmiGb03CsCI/AAAAAAAACRw/xc36SaI1HEc/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tS8GEE5bheE/VmiGb03CsCI/AAAAAAAACRw/xc36SaI1HEc/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0LdqTWBrQQ/VmiGaUZZWoI/AAAAAAAACRE/Q_mebOHcgyY/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0LdqTWBrQQ/VmiGaUZZWoI/AAAAAAAACRE/Q_mebOHcgyY/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQBR1WZn4a0/VmiGaRxsFAI/AAAAAAAACRQ/DzNuqt5KgGk/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQBR1WZn4a0/VmiGaRxsFAI/AAAAAAAACRQ/DzNuqt5KgGk/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We began by sharing our learning intentions which was mainly to create a space for informed and open discussion and sharing. We also wanted to bring to the light of consciousness the connection between our anxieties about kids' screen use and our own behavior with screens.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE2meoHasPA/VmiGaUCq2FI/AAAAAAAACRI/DBJR9joDRZY/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE2meoHasPA/VmiGaUCq2FI/AAAAAAAACRI/DBJR9joDRZY/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's always slightly amazing/shocking/overwhelming... to watch the numbers under "Society &amp; Media" on the <a href="http://www.worldometers.info/">Worldometers</a> site. It certainly makes a numerical case that our world is irrevocably a world of digital communication. Then we shared some information about media use of tweens and teens, as well as adults.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4g_2grmGzm0/VmiGa2HsheI/AAAAAAAACRM/Op_xzPm6Jd0/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4g_2grmGzm0/VmiGa2HsheI/AAAAAAAACRM/Op_xzPm6Jd0/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lig6D5L1KNU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lig6D5L1KNU?feature=player_embedded" width="420"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKFK-6nxFC0/VmiGbGn7B4I/AAAAAAAACRg/_LnJNgTQQYU/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yKFK-6nxFC0/VmiGbGn7B4I/AAAAAAAACRg/_LnJNgTQQYU/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_J_FkVX5WBU/VmiGbfNYfqI/AAAAAAAACRc/B8P-TjE4GhQ/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_J_FkVX5WBU/VmiGbfNYfqI/AAAAAAAACRc/B8P-TjE4GhQ/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QLVj85abb6Y/VmibDiu9TbI/AAAAAAAACSY/uh4dHINqUss/s1600/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QLVj85abb6Y/VmibDiu9TbI/AAAAAAAACSY/uh4dHINqUss/s640/Kids%2Band%2BScreens%2B%25288%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also reviewed key ideas from the updated recommendations from the <a href="http://www.aappublications.org/content/36/10/54.full">American Academy of Pediatrics Growing Up Digital Report</a>.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We finished our session by watching this thought-provoking TED Talk, "We Are All Cyborgs Now" by "cyborg anthropologist," Amber Chase.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/amber_case_we_are_all_cyborgs_now.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/uDb2arviBRo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/12/parent-connect-kids-and-screens.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-7642041216083859912015-05-22T14:30:00.003-04:002015-05-22T17:03:45.052-04:00Let's Elevate the Teaching ProfessionAs a 4th/5th grade teacher, I read a lot of middle-grades literature. I have noticed that it is not uncommon for the villain of the story to be a mean teacher or a teacher who doesn't really understand or appreciate children. Of course, as Mrs. Granger from Frindle wrote in her letter to Nick, "Every good story needs a bad guy, don't you think?" (Side note: If you haven't read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frindle-Andrew-Clements/dp/0689818769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1432314049&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=frindle">Frindle</a> by Andrew Clements, put it on your to-read list NOW. It is a modern-day classic, a superb story for kids of all ages.)<br /><br />I guess in the world of school-age children, teachers make an obvious choice for the bad guy character, and it does make a story deliciously fun, especially when the children (as they so often do) outwit the evil, stupid adult who previously made their lives miserable.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-euXlgqrk6fU/VV9xKVsj3kI/AAAAAAAACLY/wVlvydkBGE8/s1600/Screenshot%2B5%253A22%253A15%2B2%253A09%2BPM-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-euXlgqrk6fU/VV9xKVsj3kI/AAAAAAAACLY/wVlvydkBGE8/s640/Screenshot%2B5%253A22%253A15%2B2%253A09%2BPM-3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Search for "Mean Teacher"&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Yes, there are some stories where the teacher is the protagonist. But have you noticed how, in those stories, the teacher is often portrayed as someone special or unique, a hero because of how they actually care about kids as opposed to the other adults in the school (see Roxanna Elden's humorous take on this in "The Myth of the Super Teacher."<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/43565010" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br /><a href="https://vimeo.com/43565010">The Myth of the Super Teacher</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/edwriters">EdWriters</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />We need to stop this.<br />Right now.<br /><br />Teaching is an amazingly challenging profession. Hopefully, people who choose to teach do so because they embrace those challenges and care about children. I was talking recently to a friend whose three children attend an exclusive private school. She told me that the parents' behavior toward teachers is, at times, abusive. I know that she is not exaggerating, as I have witnessed this behavior, too. And I believe the level of disrespect for teachers is growing and becoming mainstream, even acceptable.<br /><br />Are there "bad teachers" in schools? Well....define bad. All of us, at one time or another, do things of which we aren't proud. We make mistakes. We realize that we did or didn't do something we shouldn't or should have done (or should have done differently).<br /><br />I believe that teaching is much more than a job. It is a life, a calling, an obsession if you will. I believe that all teachers should be hungry to learn and grow, to improve, to write, reflect, create, and share work. I don't think all teachers are equal, and I feel frustrated when teachers act in ways other than as academic professionals. In other words, I hold very high standards for all teachers, and I am disappointed when my standards are not met.<br /><br />That said, enough with the negative characterization of teachers.<br />Enough with the blaming.<br />Enough with expecting teachers to be perfect.<br />Enough with classifying teachers into "good" and "bad."<br /><br />Let's explain to our children, ourselves and each other that we can learn something from everyone. Let's work on ourselves first as role models for children (because what are children learning when they see and hear their parents denigrate and complain about their teachers?). Let's maybe work on seeking out the positive.<br /><br />And, of course, let's set high standards for teachers and students. Let's make it easy for schools to weed out incompetence (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reassignment_centers">without having to pay people while they sit in a room all day</a>). Let's view teaching as an academic profession and expect our teachers to regularly read, write and practice whatever it is they teach. And let's make sure that teachers have sufficient time to do those things!<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/SiURzcwMJ_k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/05/lets-elevate-teaching-profession.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-36048766678426267172015-04-13T18:29:00.005-04:002015-04-13T18:29:49.679-04:00It's Time to Stop Pretending!Thanks, <a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/">Scott McLeod</a> for starting <a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2015/04/we-have-to-stop-pretending.html?utm_content=buffer0f237&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">this challenge</a>: <br /><i>When it comes to education, what are 5 things that we have to stop pretending? Post on your blog, tag 5 others, and share using the #makeschooldifferent hashtag. <br />Feel free to also put the URL of your post in the comments area so others can find it!</i><br /><i><br /></i>I love it. Here are mine:<br /><br /><h2><b>We need to stop pretending...</b></h2><br /><ul><li>that learning comes in a box...enough of boxed and pre-packaged curriculum materials! Learning is messy!</li><li>that kids come in a box...kids are not standardized. Even when they have been born in the same 365-day span, kids have different needs, interests, and abilities.&nbsp;</li><li>that it's acceptable to do outdated things because they "worked" in the past. It's not the past.</li><li>that letter grades are the best and most useful feedback related to learning</li><li>that covering material and giving a test is the same thing as real learning and growth</li></ul><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oO0qMiz0qk4/VSw_puRvbKI/AAAAAAAACJA/tW_7wrPB_dg/s1600/new%2Bforms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oO0qMiz0qk4/VSw_puRvbKI/AAAAAAAACJA/tW_7wrPB_dg/s1600/new%2Bforms.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tag: <a href="http://langwitches.org/blog">Silvia Tolisano</a>, <a href="http://schechternetwork.org/mitzmacher">Jon Mitzmacher</a>, <a href="http://liquidliteracy.com/">Karin Hallett</a>, <a href="https://sharingourblessings.wordpress.com/">Shira Leibowitz</a> and <a href="https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/">Jackie Gerstein</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Please post your own post and share it here in the comments, as well as on Twitter using the hashtag #makeschooldifferent</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/20gzENGKzxs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com2http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/04/its-time-to-stop-pretending.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-26032779017798373502015-04-07T20:39:00.002-04:002015-04-07T20:56:12.381-04:00How to Get A Kid's Eye Perspective on Your Teaching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGbT-bOgcjY/VSQ48Mc1WkI/AAAAAAAACIo/edHEyF26fcQ/s1600/Screenshot%2B4%3A7%3A15%2B4%3A04%2BPM-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGbT-bOgcjY/VSQ48Mc1WkI/AAAAAAAACIo/edHEyF26fcQ/s1600/Screenshot%2B4%3A7%3A15%2B4%3A04%2BPM-2.jpeg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a language arts teacher, it is important to make sure my students understand perspectives. We discuss the ways different characters in literature view situations from varying points of view and the clues an author provides to help us see situations through the mind of a character.</span></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">As a teacher of young students (4</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: super;">th</span><span style="color: black;">/5</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: super;">th</span><span style="color: black;"> grades) I need to remember that their perspectives are different, from each other and especially from my adult/teacher point of view. Of course, the best way for me to tune into their perspectives is by paying attention to the clues they give me!</span></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">My students have weekly <a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/10/empowering-students-through-meaningful.html">jobs</a> which inspire them to document their learning. The tweets, photos, and blog posts they share is one way I get to see the difference between what I (thought I) taught and what they got or thought was important/memorable. &nbsp;</div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><br /></div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">Look at these two photos. I am not sure if they were shared by one photographer (documentarian) or by two different students, but I think the perspective from a child's point of view is so interesting!&nbsp;</div><div style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">Would you want to be a student in your class? If not, what will you do about it?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/dvMPhGWbP8A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-get-kids-eye-perspective-on-your.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-65330926701142826942015-03-30T15:32:00.003-04:002015-12-09T14:11:25.424-05:00Parent Connect: What's So Great About FinlandToday, <a href="http://liquidliteracy.com/">Karin</a> and I shared a Parent Connect about education in Finland. It is not a topic about which I am very well-informed, so a lot of our preparation consisted of reading and learning. I have heard so much about Finland, and it was interesting to fill in some of the details and discuss with those in attendance.<br /><br />We opened the session with this video, of which we showed the first 3:25 minutes.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rlYHWpRR4yc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rlYHWpRR4yc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then shared some background information, including the following points:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f29939b2-6ba4-df46-e4ef-95a1bd9029d9"><br /></span></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50 years ago, Finland had terrible ed system</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">education was a key part of Finland’s economic recovery plan</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now they are hailed internationally for extremely high ed outcomes (reading, math and science literacy over the past decade)</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7000007629395px; white-space: pre-wrap;">as well as sharing some background information about <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/aboutpisa/">PISA</a>, including:</span></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-f29939b2-6ba5-fad4-c3f8-e516a0a95d60"></span><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f29939b2-6ba5-fad4-c3f8-e516a0a95d60"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2000, the first results of the PISA revealed Finland’s 15 year olds as the best young readers in the world</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2003, Finland led in math, In 2006 they were first (out of 57 countries) in science, 2009 they were 2nd in science, 3rd in reading and 6th in math out of half a million students worldwide</span></li></span></ul><span id="docs-internal-guid-f29939b2-6ba5-fad4-c3f8-e516a0a95d60"></span><br /><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-f29939b2-6ba5-fad4-c3f8-e516a0a95d60"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-f29939b2-6ba5-fad4-c3f8-e516a0a95d60"></span></div><div><br /></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YMqRaQBqRvB51cFe2p4gLn_-8FF23S50vQaSmNII8Hc/embed?start=false&amp;loop=false&amp;delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="400"></iframe><br /><br />We outlined the innovations that currently seem to be working in Finland.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIXN8ju6oqw/VRmEMjQUdmI/AAAAAAAACHk/ZUiELOXTng4/s1600/Finland%2Bnotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIXN8ju6oqw/VRmEMjQUdmI/AAAAAAAACHk/ZUiELOXTng4/s1600/Finland%2Bnotes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then asked participants to categorize these ideas into two groups on a T-Chart, dividing them into things that are normally associated with "traditional" education vs. "non-traditional" education settings.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wv2PmoGyQAs/VRmiqTsOJQI/AAAAAAAACH0/6yXYO9pFMS8/s1600/PicCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wv2PmoGyQAs/VRmiqTsOJQI/AAAAAAAACH0/6yXYO9pFMS8/s1600/PicCollage.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Further Reading:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://ideas.ted.com/what-the-best-education-systems-are-doing-right/">What the Best Education Systems are Doing Right</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/?no-ist">Why are Finland's School's Successful?</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/06/opinion/sahlberg-finland-education/">Why Finland's Schools are Top-Notch</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/">What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12">26 Amazing Facts About Finland's Unorthodox Education System</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.nea.org/home/40991.htm">What We Can Learn From Finland's Successful School Reform</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And, for another perspective...(although I am not familiar with this source):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/why-finland-is-finished-as-role-model.html?utm_content=bufferfe093&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">Why Finland is Finished as a Role-Model in Education</a> (also read the comments)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/sqt-mz4uSsM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/03/parent-connect-whats-so-great-about.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-30451029564378488812015-03-20T18:24:00.002-04:002015-04-06T13:40:09.898-04:006 Things You Can Learn From Science Leadership AcademyLast week I had the opportunity to spend a little time at <a href="https://www.scienceleadership.org/">Science Leadership Academy</a>, the inquiry/project-based learning school started by <a href="http://practicaltheory.org/blog/">Chris Lehmann</a>. Here are several things that stuck with me as I reflected about what makes this school so special. [Note: "Special" is not just my opinion as evidenced by the fact that they have thousands of visitors come to see the school each year, receive over a thousand applications for the 120 openings for ninth grade and host <a href="http://2015.educon.org/">educon</a>, an annual learning conference that consistently draws the best and brightest thinkers and leaders in the world of education.]<br /><div><br />These are things your school <strike>could</strike>&nbsp;should do, too. In no particular order...</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1. A Common Language &nbsp;</b><b>&nbsp;</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Everywhere you go at SLA, you know what's up. It's communicated in the posters on the walls, both in halls and classrooms. Three simple rules: Respect yourself, Respect the community, Respect SLA as a place of learning. As Jeremy Spry, our tour guide, put it, "Basically it comes down to 'Don't be jerk.'"&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think that one of the most important things a school leader can do is infuse a school with a common language and value system. It is undeniable that Lehmann has done that at SLA. It doesn't mean that everyone has to teach the same way or that there is not room for individuality. It does mean that certain, important ideas, like norms of behavior and core values, are consistently communicated throughout the school.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y25O8Fgoj68/VQyc064ZeiI/AAAAAAAACG0/cxNiJzXbjLU/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y25O8Fgoj68/VQyc064ZeiI/AAAAAAAACG0/cxNiJzXbjLU/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cB2xdZMY8lc/VQyc06MBF-I/AAAAAAAACGw/zd5qispT7dk/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cB2xdZMY8lc/VQyc06MBF-I/AAAAAAAACGw/zd5qispT7dk/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><br /><b>2. Kids Over Content &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br />If you've read his blog or talked to Chris Lehmann you have heard him say that students should never be the implied object of their own education. In other words, it is clear that teachers are there to teach people. As Jeremy put it,<br /><i>"Students don't need us for information. They have Google for that. They need us to take care of them, raise them in community, guide them.</i>"<br />I think that is beautiful and so essential to remember. Of course, I like teachers to also be passionate about the subjects they teach, but kids come first!</div><div><br /><b>3. Technology Like Oxygen</b><br />Another famous "Lehman-ism" is that technology in schools should be like oxygen- necessary, invisible and ubiquitous. I'm not sure what else to say about this one except that sometimes this is easier said than done, but as a vision, it's the only reasonable choice.</div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6V9JR2zkSpA/VQwgEaej34I/AAAAAAAACGc/i_08f3SSg0U/s1600/5724090437_5a9534df45_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6V9JR2zkSpA/VQwgEaej34I/AAAAAAAACGc/i_08f3SSg0U/s1600/5724090437_5a9534df45_o.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /><b>4. School is Not to Prepare Kids for the Real World</b><br />I personally despise "schooliness" and think it is one of the most insidious blockers of evolving our education system to meet the real needs of learners. Even young teachers seem to have trouble envisioning a classroom or school environment different from the ones they encountered as students.<br />Schooliness to me equates with teacher-centered and passive. Students show up waiting to be told what to do. Teachers show up to tell students what and how to learn and "manage" behavior. Learning is low-level and closed-ended.<br />Why is this still the dominant culture in so many schools?<br />What I heard at SLA was this: We don't think of our job as preparing kids for the real world. We believe our students already live in the real world. We don't ban cell phones because cell phones and the distractions they provide are part of life.<br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b>5. Passion Matters!</b><br />Jeremy told us about the process by which students apply to become SLA freshmen. He said they receive over a thousand applications for around 120 open spots. Admission process is by interview, and interviews are open to anyone. The interviewee shares a learning project about which he or she is excited. What they are looking for is passionate learners. I compare this with high schools that base admissions on grades and test scores. Passion for learning is a much greater indicator of success.&nbsp;</div><div><br /><b>6. Good Design Required!</b></div><div>Art is a required course at SLA. Jeremy explained that visual literacy and design skills are not optional in today's digital world. I agree, and I still see many presenters, otherwise highly qualified, who use outdated slides that lack visual appeal. It is obvious that SLA makes thoughtful decisions, based on what students need rather than what has always been considered important, when designing their curriculum.&nbsp;</div><div></div><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6164400845780458490%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3045102956437848881&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-cB2xdZMY8lc%252FVQyc06MBF-I%252FAAAAAAAACGw%252Fzd5qispT7dk%252Fs1600%252FIMG_1069.JPG%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&amp;xm=h&amp;xv=sa1.35&amp;description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 582px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D6164400845780458490%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D3045102956437848881&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-cB2xdZMY8lc%252FVQyc06MBF-I%252FAAAAAAAACGw%252Fzd5qispT7dk%252Fs1600%252FIMG_1069.JPG%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&amp;xm=h&amp;xv=sa1.35&amp;description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 42px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 582px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6164400845780458490" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6164400845780458490" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/TNI713ZpNMA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/03/6-things-you-can-learn-from-science.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-30959237375311530952015-03-16T14:51:00.000-04:002015-03-18T16:42:46.597-04:00Edu-Innovation is Becoming The Same Old Song & That's a Good Thing!<br />After I returned from last week's <a href="http://www.jewishdayschoolconference.org/">North American Jewish Day School Conference</a> in Philadelphia, I felt, as I often feel after a high-energy conference, excited and overwhelmed.<br /><ul><li>I heard some incredible speakers, including <a href="https://learningpond.wordpress.com/grant-lichtman/">Grant Lichtman</a>, <a href="http://dialogos.com/about/our-team/william-isaacs/">Dr. William Isaacs</a>, and <a href="http://www.ringelgroup.com/biopage-rae-ringel.php">Rae Ringel</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>I had the chance to visit <a href="https://www.scienceleadership.org/">Science Leadership Academy</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>I presented <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/edtechworkshop/social-media-is-not-optional">a session on the tremendous impact, power and disruption of social media</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>I connected and reconnected, talked with and listened to, many thoughtful, caring, visionary, and brilliant educators leading all types of Jewish day schools. It was intense!</li></ul><div>The conference theme was "Uncommon Connections: Schools, Systems and Success" which referred to the idea of systems intelligence. As a big-picture thinker (who sometimes gets lost in the minutiae,) this theme really captured my attention and imagination.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>As I began to think about sharing my notes and thoughts, to reflect on what I learned and what I would do with that learning, I decided to try sketch-noting as a reflective practice. I am working on practicing this new way of making my thinking visible. I wonder if you can read my sketchnotes to understand my thinking.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CLd3IQEbWpI/VQboByU2SdI/AAAAAAAACFY/fydwUFouvzk/s1600/sketchnotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CLd3IQEbWpI/VQboByU2SdI/AAAAAAAACFY/fydwUFouvzk/s1600/sketchnotes.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What stuck out in my mind was how overlapping and repetitive many of the themes were, or so it seemed to me. Not only am I starting to hear the same messages repeated (the same old song), but it appears that "everyone" is on-board. For example, instead of arguing against the "school should not be preparation for&nbsp;real life; school is real life" philosophy at SLA, it seems as if people agree completely. Of course, my observations are not scientific. There is no control group. The group who visited SLA <b>chose</b> to go to SLA. Does that make all the difference?&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Between the visit to SLA and Grant Lichtman's sessions on innovative schools (informed by the research from his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/EdJourney-Roadmap-Future-Education/dp/1118898583">#Edjourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Innovation</a>), I heard several recurring themes, outlined in my notes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>Abolish Schooliness</li><li>Passion Matters</li><li>Keep Kids First</li><li>Create a Culture of Learning</li><li>Create a Culture of Risk-Taking/Fail Forward</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp;These are the same thoughts about school innovation that I have also written about (over and over again in different ways) on my blog. These are the same thoughts about school innovation that those of us who have, in the words of&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/courosa">Alec Couros</a>, "walked through the same door on the Internet so we could think together" have been trying out in our own schools for years!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So....why are we still stuck? Lichtman's response to this question was, "Fear and inertia." I would add lack of imagination. So....how do we vaporize (or at least minimize) fear, inertia and the lack of imagination that keeps our schools stuck in a time-warp?&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My answer is this: we do it one step at a time. We ARE doing it. We keep on doing it. We educators look into our own hearts and minds and weed out our own fears. We stay connected.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Someday soon, everything <b>will</b> be different, and no one will know how hard we fought to get there. And that, I believe, is how it should be.&nbsp;</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/KPRX_ax7iPk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/03/edu-innovation-is-becoming-same-old.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-17920247678800980782015-03-16T13:19:00.002-04:002015-03-16T13:21:00.450-04:00The Great "Just Jake" Book Giveaway + Interview<i><a href="http://justjake.com/">Jake Marcionette</a>, the NYT bestselling author who wrote his first book, Just Jake, at age 12 emailed me to see if I would be interested in interviewing him and sharing a giveaway of his new book on Edtechworkshop. Of course, I emailed him back to say that no, I would not interview him, but my <a href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade">5th grade students</a> would love to interview him!&nbsp;</i><i>Jake, now 14 years old, is excited for the publication of his second book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0448466937/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0448466937&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=justjake-20&amp;linkId=AKLZJYDE5NEGLXBL">Just Jake #2 Dog Eat Dog</a>, which will be released on March 31st.</i><br /><div><br /> <table><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKhoGGVZKlI/VQcNkQN_FxI/AAAAAAAACFo/LhC34YgUpRU/s1600/New%2BJake%2BHeadshot%2Bfor%2BJustJake%2B%232.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="308" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jake Marcionette</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ymIptYRH-Kk/VQcNxYQ8W7I/AAAAAAAACFw/R1TIit6eRB8/s1600/Cover%2BDog%2BEat%2BDog%2BJust%2BJake.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="244" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#2 Available March 31st</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><h2><b>BOOK GIVEAWAY! Enter by March 21st!&nbsp;</b></h2></div><div><i>I am thrilled to be hosting a giveaway of Just Jake #1.</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SX0Yn6gqklE/VQcQT1QkFnI/AAAAAAAACF8/c0gOkKvTeQA/s1600/Just_Jake_cover-230x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SX0Yn6gqklE/VQcQT1QkFnI/AAAAAAAACF8/c0gOkKvTeQA/s1600/Just_Jake_cover-230x300.jpg" /></a></i></div><i> If you would like to enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day on March 21st saying why you would like to have a copy of this book. Make sure to enter your email correctly because that is how I will contact you if you win. I will choose a winner on Sunday, March 22nd. Whether you are a kid looking for a funny read or a middle-grades teacher looking for a great book for your classroom library, you will want to have this book!</i></div><div><br /><i>My class loved talking with Jake via Skype. He was so full of energy, telling us how he became a published author and talking to each student, individually, about his or her passions. The class also wrote interview questions for him, and here are his answers.</i><br /><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="column"><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>Where do you live now? What school do you go to? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">I live in Saint Augustine and attend St. Johns County virtual school. It’s easier for me because I travel a lot speaking to schools and promoting my books. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>You were only 12 years old when you wrote your first book. How did you get to be such a quality writer at such a young age? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Practice...Practice...Practice. Lucky for me, my mom “encouraged” me to write when I was younger - couldn’t go outside until I did. And from there it has definitely grown into my passion. Also, I had a great deal to write about. I went to five different schools in six years so during that time I met a ton of interesting kids and experienced a variety of classroom cultures. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>Did you ever get frustrated when you were writing your book? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Sure. I think anyone who writes a lot experiences a certain level of frustration. Especially for me since I focus on writing humor/comedy. I want every joke to kill so I often go back and rework/edit until I’m happy with the end result. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>Were you ever worried or nervous about the book and how it would turn out? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">No, not really because in the end I was happy with the final manuscript. It felt right and I thought I delivered on my goal to write a piece of middle grade fiction for kids from a kid’s perspective. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>How long did it take you to write your two books, Just Jake and Just Jake 2? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Each book took about 6 months to write, edit and submit a final copy. That might seem long but I’m also in school full time which tends to demand a lot of my time as well. Right now I’m super excited that </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'; font-size: 10.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Just Jake #2 Dog Eat Dog </span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">is being published March 31st so look for it on Amazon and in book stores. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>Do you have any advice for a young writer? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Write about what you know. I look at what my sister used to read and I know I could never be successful writing about vampires, gossiping mean kids or mythical creatures because I don’t know anything about those things. I love to laugh and really love being a kid. So, Just Jake is about a bunch of 6th grade friends doing funny stuff in and around school. I was confident I could deliver on that front.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>Do you have any advice for other kids who want to get their writing published? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Be persistent and get ready for rejection but don’t let rejection derail your dreams. Never give up. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>Were there any authors that inspired you? Were you inspired by any of your friends or teachers? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">You bet. I’ve been really lucky in having great teachers who answered all my questions (and there were lots) and took the time to help nurture me as a writer. Jeff Kinney is without question one of my major influences. I love the fact he is so real and doesn’t try to sugar coat it like some authors who write for kids. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>What was your family's response when they found out your book made the New York Times Bestseller List?</b><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">They were so angry! Kidding! Actually, we couldn’t believe it. Everyone was shocked and for me it was a dream come true. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>How many literary agents did you call until one agreed? How do literary agents work? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">I called ten agents and got offers of representation from two of them and eventually decided that Dan Lazar from Writers House in New York City was the perfect fit. Agents are responsible for introducing their client’s manuscripts to publishing houses and negotiating publishing deals. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="column"><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>We watched a video of you on your blog. It was the one where you were on the news. You were talking about you trying to get a literary agent, and one person yelled at you. What did you feel then?</b><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Yeah, that was so funny. One of the agents I called started screaming at me, saying “I was doing it all wrong...” and how “I need to know the rules”. She wasn’t happy. I was surprised by her reaction but it certainly didn’t prevent me from picking up the phone and calling others. Remember, you need to be fearless and determined. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>How did writing these books affect your life? In a good or bad way? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">I’m happy to report I’m still the same kid and all-in-all this experience has been nothing but positive. Writing is my passion so I love what I do. But it also provides me with a platform that affords me the opportunity to get out there and try to motivate other kids. I’m no different from any of you. I firmly believe that any kid is capable of achieving great things no matter what their age. You just need passion, a plan and relentless determination. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000%, 39.600000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;"><b>We are very impressed with the quality of your website. Did you build it yourself or did you pay someone else to build it? </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'ArialMT'; font-size: 10.000000pt;">Thank you! No, I didn’t have to pay anyone. My mom is a multimedia technologist. She is the founder of <a href="http://bigiqkids.com/">BigIQkids.com</a> and she was happy to help me out with my site. Thanks Mom!!!!&nbsp;</span></div></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/JISzO65vso4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com8http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-great-just-jake-book-giveaway.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-33059521491233462792015-03-13T12:22:00.001-04:002015-03-13T12:23:42.697-04:00Is Being a Reader Genetic?<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the best parts of learning in community is the spontaneous discussions. Yesterday, <a href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade">we</a> wondered if being a reader is something we inherit from our parents through genetics. Since I have some strong ideas, myself, about how we become readers, I recorded&nbsp;the discussion on video.</div><div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can also join our discussion. Please share your thoughts in the comments.</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="283" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/122105773" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br /><a href="https://vimeo.com/122105773">Thinking About Reading</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user3897424">Andrea Hernandez</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/4xzqp089XD4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com1http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/03/is-being-reader-genetic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-72255747096586528342015-02-02T09:52:00.001-05:002015-12-09T14:11:56.440-05:00Parent Connect: Reading Lives Vs. Reading LevelsThese are the slides from a recent Parent Connect session I led with <a href="http://liquidliteracy.com/">Karin Hallett</a>. We use <a href="http://www.renaissance.com/products/accelerated-reader">AR</a> at our school as a tool to help us in our choice literacy efforts. AR is far from a perfect tool, but it is what we have, and I find that it does help me acquire data that parents want. The problem is that parents can become overly attached to the numbers AR and STAR Reading provide. As a teacher, I assess my students' reading growth in a wide variety of ways, these tools (AR, STAR) being only one piece of the puzzle.<br /><br />Karin and I have noticed with dismay how many parents are pushing their students to read higher AR book levels. I have had several students tell me, "I can't read that book (a book I have suggested I think they would really like). It's below my AR level, and my mom doesn't allow me to read books below my level." Karin has had parents come into the library demanding to know why their child isn't reading at a higher level.<br /><br />Sadly, many parents seem to have the schooly belief that the whole point of reading is achievement and that pushing children to read higher-level books will equate to "better" readers. There is so much wrong with this I don't know where to start dismantling the argument. It's yet another symptom of t<a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/01/school-or-learning.html">he disease of schooliness</a> we are suffer from here in the US (I can't speak for other countries, but I postulate that it is the same or worse in many other places in the world).<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/43884195" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;" width="425"></iframe><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong> <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/edtechworkshop/parent-connect-reading-lives-vs-reading-levels" target="_blank" title="Parent Connect: Reading Lives vs. Reading Levels">Parent Connect: Reading Lives vs. Reading Levels</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="https://www.slideshare.net/edtechworkshop" target="_blank">Andrea Hernandez</a></strong> <br /><br />Note: The carrot picture on the last slide. I really wanted to include that, as I love what it communicates. However, I've not been able to find a source for attribution. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=success+carrot&amp;espv=2&amp;biw=1133&amp;bih=670&amp;tbm=isch&amp;tbo=u&amp;source=univ&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=f47PVLLVLYODNuqRgZAP&amp;ved=0CB0QsAQ&amp;dpr=0.9#imgdii=_&amp;imgrc=mwYbjAgp6fJgUM%253A%3BWjy2tT5fEdjCDM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fsites.utexas.edu%252Fcomm-student-success%252Ffiles%252F2013%252F12%252FSuccess-Carrot.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fsites.utexas.edu%252Fcomm-student-success%252F2013%252F12%252F16%252Fvisualizing-success%252F%3B500%3B516">You can see that it is posted all over the web without attribution</a>. If anyone can share a source, please do! In the meantime, I am going to leave it in my slides.&nbsp;</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/vVJ8Q5BdVRU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/02/parent-connect-reading-lives-vs-reading.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-18676662464979790392015-01-30T16:11:00.001-05:002015-02-02T09:09:32.437-05:00School or Learning?<i>It's been such a long time since I have blogged here. There's no time. I'm too busy planning, teaching, grading, blogging on my classroom blogs, responding to student blogs, and the email....don't even get me started on the burden of the email!</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>The more I don't write, the more I have to write. I miss writing for my own reflection, to look into the mirror of my mind and see what I see there! I decided today just to write. Of the many possibilities, this is what bubbled up to the surface.</i><br /><br /><b>Passion Can Not Be Boxed</b><br />After 25 years of working in this field I have moved beyond the confines of schooliness. This is not to say that I don't feel tremendous pressure from the outside nor that I don't have to do tasks, such as giving grades, in which I see little value. &nbsp;I have moved to a new place in my own mind where I trust my instincts more, where passion has triumphed over fear, where playing small no longer serves me (if it ever did). This perspective has been attained only through years and years of incredibly hard work. This is the view from the top of a mountain that has taken my whole adult life to climb.<br /><br />I think about&nbsp;<a href="http://beyond-school.org/2008/03/04/what-is-schooliness-overview-and-open-thread/">schooliness</a>&nbsp;a lot. As far as I know, that word was coined by <a href="http://beyond-school.org/">Clay Burell</a>, whose blog, <a href="http://beyond-school.org/">Beyond School</a>, I used to read regularly for inspiration. Although we work mostly in schools, the most passionate educators I know believe that schools need to evolve completely in order to become places that nurture learning and learners, that value joy and curiosity. What does it mean to be educated? Why don't we ask this question more often, of ourselves, of our society?<br /><br /><b>Why School?</b><br />Schools in America have become assembly lines of preparation for more schools which are supposed to be preparation for a good life. Are we asking ourselves if we are, indeed, creating a good life for all? What is a good life?<br /><br />Here is Florida, the public schools are rated and graded. Parents, naturally, want their children to attend schools that are "A-Rated." What does it mean? It is all based on tests and more tests. <b>AP classes and tests. Rigor. Homework. More homework.</b>&nbsp;These have become the signposts people use to identify "good schools." <span style="color: purple;"><b>Joy, curiosity, questioning, thinking</b></span>....we KNOW these are important, but where is the time? Teachers are demoralized, and many of the best and brightest are leaving schools in order to teach.<br /><br /><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Teaching is, at its core, not a job. Teaching is not the sum of the parts of managing a classroom, planning lessons, giving grades.&nbsp;<b>Teaching is a relationship</b>. The teacher-student relationship is archetypal and not in any way dependent on the thing we know as school. Sadly, many people with the job of teacher lack understanding of this truth.<br /><br />Having an educated populace is more important than ever. Our planet is not in good shape (to put it mildly). We need amazing, educated, thinking people who want to share passion for life and learning with the young. We need to not try to shut those people down. We need to stop trying to measure the unmeasurable.<br /><br />I suggest a new measurement we can use for if our education is working. Instead of the bubble tests that measure, among other things, ability to guess the best answer out of four, why don't we look around at our society. Are there less school shootings? Are there less suicides? Is the growth of the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch">giant pile of garbage in the ocean</a>&nbsp;slowing or reversing? I could go on and on....&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/AjsyhkrBiTI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com2http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2015/01/school-or-learning.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-10571519339300729332014-12-12T17:05:00.001-05:002014-12-14T22:19:47.648-05:00Getting Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable<i>"It's not hard, it's just uncomfortable</i>."<br /><a href="https://twitter.com/icappell">Ilisa Cappell</a> said this to me this morning as we were discussing the future of <a href="http://edjewcon.org/">edJEWcon</a> and raising the bar on professional development. She was referring to the mind shift involved in being an information-age educator.<br /><br />It's so true!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0lVo3XBvcak/VItmd5sk10I/AAAAAAAAB_w/9E5PdcxeHxs/s1600/learn-reflect-share-edjewcon-keynote-6-638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0lVo3XBvcak/VItmd5sk10I/AAAAAAAAB_w/9E5PdcxeHxs/s1600/learn-reflect-share-edjewcon-keynote-6-638.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>My colleague <a href="http://liquidliteracy.com/">Karin Hallett</a> has this quote as her email signature:<br /><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(attributed to Vincent Van Gogh)</span></i><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>This, to me, is the essence of what it means to "learn, reflect, share."<br />This is what it means to be a lead learner.<br />This is what is means to be a teacher.<br /><br />When Ilisa said that to me, I immediately thought of my upcoming (in about an hour)&nbsp;<a href="https://education.skype.com/mysteryskype">Mystery Skype</a> session with one of my classes. I planned it on the spur of the moment, and I didn't feel I had properly prepared the students. I knew it could go well or...not so well. I also know that it doesn't have to go "well" (or what I perceive as success) in order for it to qualify as learning.<br /><br />I am always doing that which I can not do. I am reasonably comfortable working on the edge of my comfort zone. I may not have prepared the students as thoroughly as I would have liked for the process of the Mystery Skype BUT I know how to lead my students in trying something new and reflecting on the process.<br /><br />I gave them a little pep talk, answered a few final questions, and stepped out of the way (or mostly out of the way). And I was pleasantly surprised by their teamwork and enthusiasm for their task.<br />When we finished the Skype call, we reflected on the process. Truly, this was the most interesting part for me. I was so pleased by their ability to be thoughtful about what went well and what we could do better.<br /><br />Learning has changed. I can learn online by reading about others experiences. I can try something new with my students, reflect and revise. I can model my thinking and process.<br />But the only way to do this is to make a habit of being a little uncomfortable. Things don't always go well. The more we practice doing that which we can not do, the better we learn. And the best learners are the best teachers.<br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/f5_s0WoGiFE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/12/getting-comfortable-with-being.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-79686310787402256052014-12-10T16:23:00.001-05:002014-12-10T16:23:14.871-05:00Practice: The Heart & Soul of Learning<div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">In yoga, there is a famous&nbsp;quote, “Practice and all is coming.” The heart and soul of yoga is the practice. It’s about showing up on the mat, day in and day out, knowing that on some days everything flows, other days not so much.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">The yoga teacher’s job is to guide the practice, making small adjustments based on what each student needs, offering challenge and examples of possibility.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"><a data-mce-href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade/files/2014/12/IMG_7739.jpg" href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade/files/2014/12/IMG_7739.jpg" style="color: #743399; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="IMG_7739" class="aligncenter wp-image-4624 size-medium" data-mce-src="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade/files/2014/12/IMG_7739-300x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade/files/2014/12/IMG_7739-300x300.jpg" style="clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></a></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">It is the same with literacy. Reading and writing are big-picture practices comprised of many smaller skills. Practice reading and all is coming. Practice writing and all is coming.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">I see this so clearly with my 5th graders. In our second year together as readers and writers I see amazing growth. This growth looks different for each student, as it should, but it is undeniably evident. As they practice independent reading (with teacher guidance), their self-selected reading choices are naturally growing toward increasingly challenging material. They are independent and self-motivated.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;">They love writing! In our individual conferences I see growth in every aspect of each student’s writing. They are practicing skills of punctuation, grammar, spelling and&nbsp; vocabulary where it truly matters, not on a test or worksheet, but in a creative work of their own self-expression.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"><i>Note: These thoughts were originally shared on my <a href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade">classroom blog</a> as the intro to an update for parents. One of my students read the post and left this comment:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U1gtKuYLuvQ/VIi5gd6IKpI/AAAAAAAAB_g/kC8-OIQR7Vs/s1600/Practice_%2BThe%2BHeart%2Band%2BSoul%2Bof%2BLearning%2B%7C%2BFifth%2BGrade%2BStars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U1gtKuYLuvQ/VIi5gd6IKpI/AAAAAAAAB_g/kC8-OIQR7Vs/s1600/Practice_%2BThe%2BHeart%2Band%2BSoul%2Bof%2BLearning%2B%7C%2BFifth%2BGrade%2BStars.jpg" height="291" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"><br /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/B_TV0kFB5qU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com1http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/12/practice-heart-soul-of-learning.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-48895610398700533692014-12-09T19:48:00.002-05:002015-12-09T14:12:13.144-05:00Parent Connect: Quality Commenting<a href="http://liquidliteracy.com/">Karin Hallett</a> and I run a parent/community education program at our school. We call it "Parent Connect" and it focuses on a variety of topics relate to the evolution of learning and literacy. Yesterday's session topic was quality commenting.<br /><br />In preparation for the session, Karin worked with our 5th graders to create this fabulous video, which we used to set the tone.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/113862695" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/113862695">Quality Commenting</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/mjgdsclassrooms">MJGDS Classrooms</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />Next, we used the following slides to structure our discussion about how blogging and commenting fit into a framework that uses blogging as one of the primary platforms for literacy instruction.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/42542594" width="476"></iframe><br /><br />Some of the slides have corresponding blog posts. &nbsp;Slide 5, "Creating for an Audience" relates to a post I wrote called, "<a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/09/i-hope-you-like-it.html">I Hope You Like It</a>." Slide 7, "Student Commenting Policies" showcases student examples which can be viewed at the post: "<a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/11/writing-commenting-policy-for-your-blog.html">Writing Commenting Policies for Student Blogs</a>."<br /><br />Finally, we showed some examples of comment screenshots from some of our student blogs and discussed/evaluated in terms of quality.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="500" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hWWRRO2bz51jw3qtYDVYUlAvAZ1nn8s4CFS9_tPewGk/embed?start=false&amp;loop=false&amp;delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="600"></iframe><br /><br />I would love to get more quality comments on my blog as well as see more quality interaction on my students' blogs. What is it that I am missing or lacking? I am very open to and appreciative of feedback on this topic.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/7C9YwrKiHco" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/12/parent-connect-quality-commenting.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-36816435319822722082014-11-24T15:57:00.001-05:002014-11-24T17:08:40.385-05:00edJEWcon Cleveland: After-ThoughtsLast Sunday, <a href="http://edjewcon.org/">edJEWcon</a> hit the road to "<i>Learn, Reflect, Share</i>" at the <a href="http://www.grossschechter.org/">Gross Schechter Day School</a> in snowy Cleveland. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E6oz5o9mz-o/VG9nbbMu8bI/AAAAAAAAB-k/fWJHEGGh3zQ/s1600/IMG_7672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E6oz5o9mz-o/VG9nbbMu8bI/AAAAAAAAB-k/fWJHEGGh3zQ/s1600/IMG_7672.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>A lot of learning took place, as well as some mostly "local" sharing via Twitter (hashtag #edjewcon),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1998302861"></span>Today's Meet</a>&nbsp;and a shared Google doc during Silvia Tolisano's brilliant keynote, <a href="http://www.edjewcon.org/resources/resources-cleveland/the-5cs-in-education/">The 5 C's in Jewish Education</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sw-cPj5AoPw/VHNuVvFecZI/AAAAAAAAB-8/pB2wx7-CEUI/s1600/Preview%2Bof%2B%E2%80%9Cedjewcon%2B-%2BTranscript%2B-%2BTodaysMeet%E2%80%9D%2B(page%2B2%2Bof%2B5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sw-cPj5AoPw/VHNuVvFecZI/AAAAAAAAB-8/pB2wx7-CEUI/s1600/Preview%2Bof%2B%E2%80%9Cedjewcon%2B-%2BTranscript%2B-%2BTodaysMeet%E2%80%9D%2B(page%2B2%2Bof%2B5).jpg" height="454" width="640" /></a></div>The day was great. We had hoped for a larger crowd, but the 10-4 timeline on a (snowy) Sunday may have deterred people. We also need to work more on branding. It seems clear that there is a lack of understanding. What IS edJEWcon? Is it a technology conference? (No!)<br />I did put together a trailer to try to explain, in general, what edJEWcon is about.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/110707679" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/110707679">edJEWcon</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/edjewcon">edJEWcon</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />Afterwards, we had what I thought was an excellent selection of "breakout sessions" with some really great educators sharing their ideas. For my session, I wanted to lead a conversation called "Learning is Messy." <a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/11/personalized-learning-will-american.html">I blogged recently about some of my thoughts and feelings about all of the boxes in education</a>, and it is something I've really been struggling with in my own teaching practice. My goal, as it always is, was to have the session be very interactive. I structured it using the "<a href="http://www.nsrfharmony.org/system/files/protocols/what_so_what_0.pdf">What? So what? Now what?</a>" protocol.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/41627720" style="border-width: 1px; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;" width="425"> </iframe> <br /><div style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><strong> <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/edtechworkshop/learning-is-messy" target="_blank" title="Learning is Messy">Learning is Messy</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="https://www.slideshare.net/edtechworkshop" target="_blank">Andrea Hernandez</a></strong> </div><br />It felt like a successful session but not a conversation. One thing I really love about going to share my work at other schools or conferences is the perspective it affords me. In my day-to-day reality, I am motivated to work hard by an awareness of how much better I can be, how much more there is to learn and do. It is like climbing a huge mountain without stopping, only focused on how far there still is left to climb.<br />Sharing my work elsewhere is akin to taking the time to stop and review how much I've already done, to look back and appreciate that I've actually come a long way. It's something I never take time to do unless I find myself sharing the process with others who are interested.<br /><br />It felt gratifying to share our <a href="http://mjgds.org/students">student blogfolios</a> and <a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/11/student-led-conferences-slcs-students.html">student-led conferences</a> with the teachers in Cleveland. They were impressed by our students' capacity for reflective self-evaluation, as well as the evidence of digital literacy (hyperlinked persuasive blog posts; Creative Commons images, properly cited) they saw on the student blogs.<br /><br />I am left with these questions, needing more thought and discussion:<br />Why is it so challenging to get the whole learn-reflect-share cycle happening? Is it worth the effort? How can we create a structure that supports the entire process?<br /><br />How do we continue to grow these experiences for maximum impact on the learning culture at our schools? How do we build and sustain a network that exists beyond the in-person experience?<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/7XYt_ymfIOM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/11/edjewcon-cleveland-my-reflections.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-37156131209012606192014-11-03T10:17:00.003-05:002014-11-03T10:21:33.303-05:00Personalized Learning: Will American Schools Ever Get There?<a href="http://edglossary.org/personalized-learning/">Personalized learning</a> is a hot topic in education right now, emerging as one of the "new forms" of the modern era. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VWbAHt0iJ0w/VFd-mlCXLbI/AAAAAAAAB9c/Rud254xSlwY/s1600/new%2Bforms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VWbAHt0iJ0w/VFd-mlCXLbI/AAAAAAAAB9c/Rud254xSlwY/s1600/new%2Bforms.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>How could learning NOT get more personalized, what with all of the apps, devices, search engines, maker spaces, genius hours, contests, global projects and authentic opportunities for learning, prevalent in the modern world?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Yet the old forms stick like glue, holding us back from exploring ideas of what education could and should look like. Structures like grades, schedules, age-groupings, testing, even school itself must be critically examined. Do they still make sense?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fzCGc_FXrKg/VFd_WFEnSSI/AAAAAAAAB9k/xtibcxJkGQA/s1600/old%2Bforms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fzCGc_FXrKg/VFd_WFEnSSI/AAAAAAAAB9k/xtibcxJkGQA/s1600/old%2Bforms.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />It may be cliche, but the saying "out of the box" really speaks to me. I feel that the old forms gained popularity and still hang on because they represent the alluring idea that education <b>can</b> be boxed, measured, and standardized. [We thought the same thing could be done with nutrition, and look at what we are learning about the unhealthfulness of factory foods.]<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sBdb9HrmjGs/VFeEXbvzlYI/AAAAAAAAB-A/jyv5RY0OhIY/s1600/Journal%2B(2).pdf.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sBdb9HrmjGs/VFeEXbvzlYI/AAAAAAAAB-A/jyv5RY0OhIY/s1600/Journal%2B(2).pdf.jpg.jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why do we love boxes?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://practicaltheory.org/blog/">Chris Lehman</a> says that students should never be the implied object of their own education. Do you teach subject content or do you teach kids? <b>Kids are not standardized</b>. We need to <b>stop pretending </b>and start speaking truth.<br /><b>Truth</b>:&nbsp;<i>My students, despite being born in a roughly 365-day span, have vastly different abilities, needs, interests and motivations. They come to me at varying stages of physical, emotional and academic development. This impacts what they are able to do in my language arts classroom.&nbsp;</i><br /><br />You wouldn't know it by looking at most schools, but acknowledging and accepting this is the easy part. Once we accept that learning is developmental and students have different needs, <span style="font-size: large;">what are we going to do about it?</span><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>How do we get from point A (think rows of desks, worksheets. teacher-centered, everyone doing the same thing, compliance, grades, etc.) to these "new forms" that so many of us are envisioning and working to create? How does personalized learning work within the old-school constructs within which most of us are forced to work?<br /><br />The key is embracing and creating environments where open-ended, unboxed constructs provide students opportunity for "<a href="http://professornana.livejournal.com/905760.html">choice and voice as opposed to chore and bore</a>,&nbsp;documenting growth (which we do at my school through&nbsp;<a href="http://mjgds.org/students">student blogfolios</a>), formative assessment, and trying things to see what works for each child. The role of the teacher has totally changed to more individual coaching and conferencing.<br /><br />Many people say that they want students to be able to learn according to their passions, personalities, abilities and interests, yet they are terrified to let go enough to allow this. Many of us, parents and educators alike, want it all. We want our students to be able to learn out of the box, but we want to keep the box, too. We are so afraid of what will happen without it. Will our children be prepared for college? How often do we stop and ask ourselves what it even means to be educated?<br /><br />We can not have it both ways. We must decide where we stand and what we believe. If we believe &nbsp;in a student-centered, personalized approach, we have to let go of some of the old ways of doing things. We have to understand that learning is developmental, that we learn through practice. We have to allow the roles of both teacher and students to evolve and change.<br /><br />Learning is messy, messy, messy. Any attempt to make it un-messy squeezes kids into unnatural confines that work for some, but not all, students.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/LnXvj5jS2Oc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com3http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/11/personalized-learning-will-american.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-32913176000573753262014-09-14T10:02:00.000-04:002014-09-14T20:55:56.558-04:003 Tips to Help You Survive as an Innovative TeacherRecently I saw the fantastic movie Chef.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wgFws3AoIUY?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />I am not a big movie-person, but this was my kind of upbeat, feel-good movie (with a super-cute kid).<br />I would have liked it no matter what, but it especially touched me because I really identified with the chef.<br /><br />He was passionate and creative, but not everyone appreciated his passion and creativity.<br />He had innovative ideas about food, but his boss (Dustin Hoffman) wanted the same old, same old. Ultimately, chef realized that he could not be true to himself while cooking someone else's menu.<br /><br />I am the chef. My beliefs about learning and literacy are strong and passionate. I can not, in good conscience, serve up the chocolate lava cake just because it has always been on the menu. But I realize that, while I was rooting for the chef, &nbsp;this was not a battle of good and evil. The chef was not right. He simply had to follow his passion. The people who wanted the boring, traditional food were not wrong. They wanted what they knew would give them comfort.<br /><br />Everyone got something to eat, and everyone was satisfied. As a diner, I would never eat the exotic food the chef cooked, no matter how beautiful it looked or smelled, no matter how many rave reviews it got. That kind of food is out of my comfort zone; &nbsp;I'm not going to try squid tentacles or animal innards. This perspective helps me have compassion and understanding for the parents and colleagues who want learning to be served up as worksheets and spelling tests. It's familiar. It's comfortable. It may even, for some students, get the job done.<br /><br />As a teacher, I want everyone to be excited about my "cooking." Like the chef, I work hard to create fresh, innovative and delicious learning opportunities for my students. Like the chef, I pour my heart and soul into my work and feel devastated when the haters hate.<br /><br />How do we, who believe in kids over content, stay strong despite the fact that <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/09/the-war-on-teachers/379403/">teaching is one of the most disrespected professions of all time</a>?<br /><br /><h3>Smile</h3>I've been advised to smile more. I am pretty serious! I'm working on smiling, even if it is fake, because I believe in fake it til you make it. I think of it as a yoga pose. Turn corners of mouth upward. Breathe. Calm the mind. When I have to deal with difficult people, it does no good to argue with them. They want chocolate lava cake! I am not going to change everyone. I can smile and try to stay calm inside even when people are rude.<br /><br /><h3>Connect</h3><div>It's bizarre how I can feel so crazy in one setting and so normal in another setting. It's all context. When I am talking to the chocolate lava people I start to question myself. Give kids a wide selection of books and time to read? Try to meet individual learning needs? Am I insane? &nbsp;It would be so much easier to have closed-ended, easy-to-measure goals. I could "cover" what's in the book (created by someone who doesn't know MY students!) and call it a day. I could go home and have a normal life. It wouldn't matter that my students would wait passively for me to tell them what to learn. It wouldn't matter that some students wouldn't be challenged. Life would be simple.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>It is only when I connect with other educators that I feel that what I am doing is right. <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiftIdjCeWSXdDRLRzNsVktUUGJpRWJhdUlWLS1Genc#gid=0">Twitter chats</a> are an amazing place to find your people. Critics call it the echo-chamber. Maybe, &nbsp;but there is something fortifying about spending time with people I respect tremendously and seeing my work reflected in their ideas. It gives me the strength to go back to my "real world" (which is NOT the echo chamber and where I feel like #1 freak) and carry on.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><h3><b>Share</b></h3><div>We know so much about why we do what we do. Most innovative teachers spend hours and hours (and hours and hours and hours) reading, writing, listening, learning, presenting and connecting with other teachers in the never-ending honing of our craft. It is frustrating when people who know little about education have strong opinions based on nothing substantial. I have started parent education sessions at my school, and I believe they are as important as the work I do with kids in the classroom. Most parents are interested in learning more, as well as experiencing the type of learning their children are experiencing.&nbsp;</div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Being a teacher will never be easy. Being a teacher who thinks, questions and pushes against the status quo requires great perseverance. Never will we all agree on the best way to educate or the purpose and meaning of an education. Remember, we all eat differently. As long as the food is healthy, it's ok. Education is as basic as nutrition; it's a building block of human life.&nbsp;</div><div>Do your best, keep learning, and stay true to you.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><br /><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/FmZJlZo8Yig" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com4http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/09/3-tips-to-help-you-survive-as.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-87565162894188478332014-09-07T18:46:00.000-04:002014-09-07T18:55:55.967-04:00Daily 5: Implementation Checklist & Other ResourcesUse of <a href="http://dailycafe.com/">The Daily 5</a> for literacy learning continues to evolve at my school. Like anything new, there are questions and concerns, pushback from various stakeholders. As a leader who brought the Daily 5 to the school and a teacher who believes in choice literacy and meeting the needs of individual learners, my response has been to create resources that might help.<br /><br />I share some of those resources here, with hopes that other teachers and schools might find them useful. For more resources, follow my <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/edtechworkshop/literacy/">Literacy</a> board on Pinterest.<br /><div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/238985740/Daily-5-Implementation-Checklist" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Daily 5 Implementation Checklist on Scribd">Daily 5 Implementation Checklist</a> by <a href="http://www.scribd.com/edtechworkshop" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Andrea Hernandez's profile on Scribd">Andrea Hernandez</a></div><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_75096" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/238985740/content?start_page=2&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-BHMdUZpSyBJtBE0CpgFy&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br />I also just made this video showing a little of the intro to read to self with my 5th graders.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JOjj2RBpRyE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0' /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This infographic can be used as part of parent education.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQ7QOHr-Yus/VAyOWJEYKMI/AAAAAAAAB74/teva3lNIHCQ/s1600/infographic%2Bfor%2Bparents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQ7QOHr-Yus/VAyOWJEYKMI/AAAAAAAAB74/teva3lNIHCQ/s1600/infographic%2Bfor%2Bparents.jpg" height="640" width="284" /></a></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/wrUlao-KzS0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com2http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/09/daily-5-implementation-timeline-other.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-55580888079535791962014-09-01T17:30:00.000-04:002014-09-01T17:30:14.714-04:00Mentor Sentences: Teaching Language as an ArtWe are very fortunate to have an amazing art teacher at our school, <a href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/art">Shana Gutterman</a>. There are many reasons why she is amazing, but one of the most easily noticeable is that she gets all of the kids to create impressive artwork. I have been able to observe her teaching process, and she often uses a "mentor piece" (I don't know if she calls it that though) to inspire the students.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUY-CWtPvdA/VAR4EYEqd_I/AAAAAAAAB7c/E6xJeo5RM5I/s1600/shana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUY-CWtPvdA/VAR4EYEqd_I/AAAAAAAAB7c/E6xJeo5RM5I/s1600/shana.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image used with permission: <a href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms/art">Shana Gutterman</a></td></tr></tbody></table>For example, in this lesson students look at self-portraits created by Van Gogh and Rembrandt, with attention drawn to what makes those mentor pieces exceptional. Then, they are invited to create their own self-portraits, using the same technique used by the masters.&nbsp;<div><br /></div><div>Many teachers of writing also use <a href="http://www.teachmentortexts.com/p/what-are-mentor-texts.html#axzz3C52EYWsh">mentor texts</a> to inspire students' writing. I have some favorite mentor texts that I use for certain types of writing, and sharing quality examples is always part of my process for teaching writing. However, I became more interested last year in the idea of using mentor sentences for the teaching of writing conventions, as well as writing style.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I tried having students search for wonderful sentences during their reading, but it didn't catch on. I don't think I set it up properly, and the idea just didn't make sense to 4th and 5th graders. But the idea still had a grip on my mind. So when I discovered <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xkWhN3rAek">this video of Jivey</a> using mentor sentences to teach grammar and writing to her 4th grade students, I purchased her <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mentor-Sentences-Unit-First-Ten-Weeks-656005">mentor sentence lessons</a>, and&nbsp;I began using the lessons and notebooks on the first day of school this year.</div><h4>What I like about this approach:</h4><div><ul><li>I love that it focuses on what is right instead of what is wrong with writing.</li><li>I like that it is a holistic approach that explicitly connects grammar to writing and, specifically, to sentence structure.</li><li>I like that the notebooks give students some practice with note-taking, as well as handwriting. Last year, with the iPads, my students got very little handwriting practice, and I felt that they needed a bit more of that.&nbsp;</li><li>I love the way that this elevates grammar lessons to the critical-thinking exercises that they truly are instead of the memorization of series of rules.</li></ul><div><b>What I am wondering/worrying about:</b></div></div><div><ul><li>I am spending a lot of time right now on the daily mentor sentence activities. I am always worried about the best use of time. I am hopeful that, with practice, the process will become more routine and will take less time.&nbsp;</li><li>Some students are struggling, which is ok. This is thinking-intensive, and I find that thinking is stressful for many students. They look for a work-around such as one student who, for Monday's "invitation to notice" what makes the sentence exceptional wrote, "<i>I don't think this should be a mentor sentence</i>."&nbsp;</li><li>I am wondering if it is too much whole-class, frontal teaching. Again, I hope that with more practice, it will become quicker and more student-centered.&nbsp;</li><li>I am wondering how to reinforce the practice of particular concepts for students who need more work. I have been looking at different tools, and I think that <a href="https://www.noredink.com/">noredink</a>&nbsp;holds great potential. You easily create assignments and quizzes focusing on specific concepts. Students are guided with hints as needed, and teachers can easily see who has mastered the skill. I am excited to start using this.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1vA2wCYtpPA/VATlHGz4KdI/AAAAAAAAB7o/iCqnrGJsjvY/s1600/mentor%2Bsentence%2Bcollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1vA2wCYtpPA/VATlHGz4KdI/AAAAAAAAB7o/iCqnrGJsjvY/s1600/mentor%2Bsentence%2Bcollage.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/aFMyCuJbsrw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com2http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/09/mentor-sentences-teaching-language-as.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-2922762483736979412014-08-22T17:50:00.000-04:002014-08-31T11:53:52.211-04:00The 1st Week: Building a FoundationMy simple reflection from the first week back in the classroom is this:<br /><h3><i>Building a foundation for learning takes time.</i></h3>The pressure to "start _______ (fill in the blank yourself)" is great. And yet, in order for the learning community to function smoothly, the foundation must be carefully built. The way I explained it to my students is that you don't build a house on the dirt; you first pour a foundation that will support it.<br />I spent this first week with my students building the foundation that will support our learning community and help us thrive. I'm amazed (always!) how much time everything takes.<br /><br />This is the FOURTH blog post I've written today (!) as we reflect weekly on a faculty Ning, and I update both the <a href="http://mjgds.org/classrooms">4th and 5th grade classroom blogs</a>. In each of those posts, I reflected from a different vantage point (and for a different audience) on this creation of the foundation for learning.<br /><br /><h3>From the 4th Grade Classroom Blog (parent audience)</h3><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>One main difference between learning in school and learning outside of school is that in most schools, students are consistently grouped with their same-aged peers. Imagine having the same eighteen&nbsp;people come to your house every weekday! The opportunity to learn together extends beyond academic subjects and into developing the important&nbsp;life skills&nbsp;necessary to be a positive member of a community. Building&nbsp;a foundation for social learning is one of my main teaching goals for the first weeks of school.</i></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 19.5px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>To this end, we did many activities this week including introducing classroom norms, mentor sentence of the week and&nbsp;“read to self” which is the first component of the Daily 3.</i></div><h3>From the Faculty Ning (colleague audience)</h3><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SH_EaLoALa8/U_e6LTJcz7I/AAAAAAAAB60/vgaoGFbFn44/s1600/readtoself.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SH_EaLoALa8/U_e6LTJcz7I/AAAAAAAAB60/vgaoGFbFn44/s1600/readtoself.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><i style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.614557266235352px;">I will confess that I am a notorious "step-skipper" meaning I have little patience for detailed procedures and drawn-out step-by-step plans. My mind works creatively and I am very non-linear, which can be a blessing or a curse. So, it may seem odd that I am such an advocate of the Daily 5, which is nothing (in the beginning) if not detailed, linear and repetitive.&nbsp;</i></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.614557266235352px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; min-height: 1em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://api.ning.com/files/Qvoxp7jhEtKyzoXzAVs34o*xGJHg-aJGpn4X5JD*lJL-F2AMvmTXuMUFpNm7bH-K9fJtZ9Bp1qoFVkSr0Wey7fAaI8RphsnH/photo.JPG" style="color: #2e5f87; text-decoration: none;" target="_self"></a><i style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">I know that this is good teaching, and I know it because I have seen how&nbsp;</i><i style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">well it works. If we had time to teach and model everything this thoroughly it would be great, but the truth is that teaching is a constant process of deciding what is worth the time. As I am beginning the process of building the Daily 5 foundation with my students, I am again seeing for myself how well this series of lessons works to create a structure for personalized literacy instruction.&nbsp;</i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.614557266235352px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; min-height: 1em; padding: 0px;"><i style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><br /></i></div><h3 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.614557266235352px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; min-height: 1em; padding: 0px;"></h3><h2></h2><i style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><br /></i><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also asked my students to reflect on the week.</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iP7j8qR6Tqw/U_e55mfp4yI/AAAAAAAAB6M/oJuMHcRbcFg/s1600/Benjamin.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iP7j8qR6Tqw/U_e55mfp4yI/AAAAAAAAB6M/oJuMHcRbcFg/s1600/Benjamin.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ya3fPriUP7I/U_e56gXtjkI/AAAAAAAAB6k/7FcciVB3wvk/s1600/daisy%2B%2BUSE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ya3fPriUP7I/U_e56gXtjkI/AAAAAAAAB6k/7FcciVB3wvk/s1600/daisy%2B%2BUSE.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a75E8rJGWqc/U_e553Q4gwI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/nKPeuHQZSvg/s1600/Nahila.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a75E8rJGWqc/U_e553Q4gwI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/nKPeuHQZSvg/s1600/Nahila.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o7leEC69h0g/U_e55-yQJpI/AAAAAAAAB6U/x3h9Vugz5DQ/s1600/PicCollage.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o7leEC69h0g/U_e55-yQJpI/AAAAAAAAB6U/x3h9Vugz5DQ/s1600/PicCollage.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kdFLsa-iPCI/U_e569YhUqI/AAAAAAAAB6g/BUcvOhFuLvc/s1600/saylor.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kdFLsa-iPCI/U_e569YhUqI/AAAAAAAAB6g/BUcvOhFuLvc/s1600/saylor.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 13.614557266235352px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; min-height: 1em; padding: 0px;"><i style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><br /></i></div></div><br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/SOI8rr4KYV4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-1st-week-building-foundation.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-28655186779292756772014-08-09T19:28:00.003-04:002014-08-09T19:30:20.522-04:00How Summer Yoga Inspires My TeachingThis summer, my friend, Rina, and I decided to take weekly yoga "field trips." I have been practicing yoga for….well, forever, and have practiced at the same studio for many years. As a result of taking a few classes this summer with new teachers in new places, I found myself growing in my practice in ways that I have not grown in years. At my usual studio there is a sameness from one practice to the next. While I find each class challenging and enjoyable, I had become too accustomed to the routine.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5lxUIonRQBA/U-at35bh-DI/AAAAAAAAB54/zNL6c23yPoc/s1600/effort_ease+on+Instagram-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5lxUIonRQBA/U-at35bh-DI/AAAAAAAAB54/zNL6c23yPoc/s1600/effort_ease+on+Instagram-1.jpg" height="320" width="282" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />What can I learn from this that I can bring into my own classroom? How can I create the daily rituals and predictability my students need to feel comfortable without creating an environment that is slightly stagnant? Too much routine creates too much of&nbsp;<a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/12/in-2014leave-your-comfort-zone.html">a comfort zone</a>&nbsp;and can stifle learning.<br /><br />Here are some thoughts...<br /><br /><b><i>Change it up!</i></b><br />Predictable routines are a necessity in classrooms, and both students and teachers rely on them. Bringing an element of fun or surprise, though, will keep everyone on their toes. Beautiful day? Why not hold class outside? I remember one day last year spontaneously holding a <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Perform-the-Plank-Exercise">plank</a> contest with my 4th graders. A small thing, but it brought smiles, laughter and requests to do it again.<br /><br /><b><i>Set the bar REALLY high</i></b><br />One of the hardest things for me is to push kids just the right amount. I tend to set a high standard and to know that everyone is capable of achieving it through hard work. However, some kids have not internalized habits like persistence. It is my job to push them just enough that they see their own potential, but not so much that they go over the edge. Because I am dealing with unique individuals, this point is different for everyone, and everyone responds differently to being challenged.<br /><br />What I don't agree with is setting the bar low so as not to make anyone feel bad. I would much rather see kids strive and fall short of the goal than to see them make the goal easily and be cheated of working hard. Learning to challenge oneself, try, fail, get back up, try harder…that is the essence of learning to learn.<br /><br /><b><i>Remember&nbsp;that growth isn't always a linear process</i></b><br />In yoga practice it's normal to be stronger on one side of the body or to be able to do different things from one day to the next depending on how you're feeling, what else has been going on, the frequency of the practice. With school learning, everyone expects a linear progression. But there may be reasons why the 4th grader who <b><i>knows</i></b> the rules of capitalization, messes up on a particular day. Teachers know this, but it is very hard not to feel disheartened sometimes when it seems that progress is not being made in a straight line with students moving right along mastering concept after concept.<br /><br /><b><i>Create a space for practice</i></b><br />Deep, lasting growth is developmental, with some steps forward and some steps back. I like my classroom to be a place of practice (like my "regular" yoga studio) but with opportunities to try new skills (like my yoga field trips). Once you've experienced what you are capable of, it changes future practice, giving opportunities to integrate the new learning into the established practice.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/rFB2x2O5WdY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-summer-yoga-inspires-my-teaching.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6164400845780458490.post-59899342984397190692014-06-10T19:54:00.000-04:002014-06-10T19:54:10.345-04:00App List for Year 2 of 1:1Last year, as I headed into teaching in a new 1:1 iPad learning environment, I shared <a href="http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/07/were-going-11-with-ipads-heres-our-app.html">our app list</a>. Now, heading into year two, we have revised the list, based on what we actually used, as well as adding some new apps that we discovered throughout the year.<br /><br /><b>App Advice-</b><br />My best advice is to keep it simple.<br />It's not how many apps you have that make the program successful. Really, how many apps does anyone use on a regular basis? The idea is to model the use of the tool to create, connect, communicate, organize, document, collaborate and share. Once students understand the process, they can continue to use the suggested apps or can explore new apps. As teachers, we are able to focus on content and skills or whatever else we are teaching.<br /><br />I feel that my 1:1 year was a great success. The students and I really enjoyed the freedom, versatility and creativity afforded by 1:1 iPads.<br /><br /><div style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/229054983/App-List-Year-2" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View App List Year 2 on Scribd">App List Year 2</a> by <a href="http://www.scribd.com/edtechworkshop" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Andrea Hernandez's profile on Scribd">Andrea Hernandez</a></div><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.7729220222793488" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_23380" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/229054983/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-ooQ9DX0Sa1CUKXyOrceY&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/EdtechWorkshop/~4/hrwjArGyJR4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Andrea Hernandezhttps://plus.google.com/118102978624540880894noreply@blogger.com0http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2014/06/app-list-for-year-2-of-11.html